COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE
ACADEMIC REPORT FOR 2013-2014
2013-2014 Highlights
1. Programmatic achievements
a. Student engagement and success
• Students in the DVM program engage in experiential learning throughout the
curriculum with a problem-based learning course, hands-on laboratories, and
increasing clinical experience and responsibility that builds to their fourth year,
which is comprised of clinical rotations in the Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH),
Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL), the Animal Medical Learning Center
(AMLC) at the Oregon Humane Society (OHS) in Portland and in private practices
around the world in preceptorship placements. The College continues to refine the
professional curriculum to optimize the student experience and to ensure that
confident, practice-ready DVMs graduate from the program.
• Veterinary students have a wide variety of extracurricular opportunities that
provide public service, education, health care and allow them to engage in
multiple facets of the veterinary profession while they are receiving their formal
education. Some examples include students providing public education on rabies
at the Corvallis Farmers’ Market in association with World Rabies Day,
interacting with the public at the traveling Smithsonian exhibit on the human
animal bond, providing reproductive services to wild animals at Wildlife Safari,
and participating in student organizations, workshops and short courses.
Students annually organize a number of successful events, including Pet Day & Open
House, the SCAVMA Ride the Heart of the Valley (fundraising event to benefit the
College), and the SCAVMA/Oregon Veterinary Conference Dinner to encourage
interaction between veterinarians and students.
• The College again sponsored summer research programs for veterinary students, with
grant support from Merial Limited and the Biomedical Sciences department. The 20
students participating in this program engaged in research projects under the direction
of faculty, and participated in a series of learning opportunities designed to introduce
them to experimental design, conduct of research, and presentation of data. Several of
the students participated in the national research symposium and presented their
research projects, along with the Merial-sponsored students from all over the country.
b. Research and its impact
• The College and the Division continued to make strategic investments in research.
These involved allocating funds for seed grants, equipment grants and start-up
packages for new faculty. The College continued to benefit significantly from the
Provost’s Faculty Investment Initiative, with a new faculty position in
Pharmacology.
• Continuing and new extramurally-funded research projects (>$50K in total budget)
are listed in Appendix 1.
c. Outreach and engagement, including international-level activities
Approximately 70% of faculty and staff have significant diagnostic and/or clinical
service assignments, and all veterinary students were involved in the provision of these
services. Outreach and engagement activities were integrated into the teaching and
research missions of the College.
• Programs/projects/partnerships: The College has three major programs that provide
important clinical and diagnostic services to Oregon and the Pacific Northwest:
o Veterinary Teaching Hospital. The VTH provides referral clinical service to
small animals and both referral and primary care services to large animals in the
specialties of internal medicine, surgery, theriogenology, cardiology, oncology,
anesthesiology, and radiology. In addition, the Rural Veterinary Practice unit
provides a field service to animal owners within a 30 mile radius of Corvallis.
Two College faculty have extension appointments and provide outreach in the
areas of rural veterinary medicine and aquatic sciences.
o Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. The VDL plays an essential role in protecting
animal and public health through its involvement in the National Animal Health
Laboratory Network (NAHLN), participation in the national surveillance program
for avian influenza in waterfowl and classical swine fever, and provision of
diagnostic testing for zoonotic and other animal diseases. o Oregon Humane Society. The partnership with the OHS to operate
the AMLC makes possible the provision of shelter medicine services to animals in the Portland area and beyond.
Several continuing education seminars and workshops were presented, including the
following:
o Oregon Veterinary Conference, co-hosted with the Oregon Veterinary Medical
Association (March, 2014) provides three days of continuing education to
veterinarians and veterinary technicians. o An International Symposium on Rehabilitation, Physical Therapy and Sports
Medicine was held from August 4-8, 2014 and was attended by approximately 260 veterinarians, students and others.
o The International Camelid Health Conference was held in July, 2013 and brought in
speakers and veterinarians from around the world to present and discuss camelid health, medicine and surgery.
o The Western Region Consortium Teaching Academy met in Corvallis in July, 2013 to present two days of speakers, workshops and discussions on best practices in veterinary medical education. It was attended by faculty from the veterinary schools at Colorado State University, Oregon State University, the University of California, Davis, Washington State University and Western University.
• International-level activities: In addition to several research programs with strong
international collaborations, the College is formally engaged in the following
educational programs involving international students and faculty:
o Nine veterinary students from St. George’s University in Grenada and Ross
University in St. Kitts received their 4th
year clinical training at the College. The
students are assessed a contractual fee to cover the expenses of their education.
o The College participated in student exchanges with international academic
institutions. Students from Japan, China and France were educated at the College.
One veterinary student from OSU attends Toulouse University in France each
summer. The College established a new program with the Karnataka Veterinary
University in Bangalore, India. Two students spent the summer doing clinical
work and research under the mentorship of Dr. Manoj Pastey. This program is
expected to expand in the next two years. The College also developed a
collaboration with the Agriculture University of Nanjing, China and with the
Agriculture University of Wuhan, China. Two Chinese students are expected to
arrive in the upcoming months for training here. The program with the Chinese
universities is multi-faceted, including graduate education, professional training,
exchange of students and grant opportunities.
o For the eighth consecutive year, veterinary students enrolled in an elective course
traveled to Ometepe Island, Nicaragua where they provided clinical service to a
rural community under the supervision of veterinarian mentors, provided Public
Health seminars for the community and completed a research project on vector-
borne diseases of horses that resulted in a pending publication in Emerging and
Infectious Disease.
Other outreach
Pat Chappell initiated an outreach program to introduce high school students to
molecular biological techniques, incorporating laboratory methodology into
existing curriculum in collaboration with Andy Patron, a biology teacher at McKay
HS in Salem, OR. With assistance from Murdock matching funds, a two-week
project for Biology students includes students working in small groups with
standard molecular cloning techniques to generate bacterial plasmids capable of
causing cultured cells to glow green under ultraviolet light exposure. At the
completion of the project, students sent prepared plasmid DNA to Dr. Chappell’s
lab where the students’ preps were transfected into cultured mammalian cells and
imaged under a microscope. Students also toured the Chappell lab, and trainees
from his lab assisted Mr. Patron’s students at McKay HS, answering questions
regarding both the specific project and how to get involved in science as
undergraduates. Feedback has been very positive, and we hope to add this program
to the growing list of outreach opportunities for younger students available at the
College.
d. Community and diversity
A one-week summer camp for under-represented and disadvantaged Oregon high
school students was offered for the second year. The program was slightly
expanded from 10 to 12 high school students. Mentored by 5 current veterinary
students who are hired to design and implement the program, these students
participate in a number of activities and research projects designed to introduce
them to multiple facets of veterinary medicine and research as well as to
college/university life in general. The program was expanded to 16 students for the
summer of 2014 with 70 applicants for those spots.
College faculty and students provided veterinary services for the Confederated
Tribes of Warm Springs Tribe, including castrations of wild horses belonging to
the tribe.
Veterinary students in the Shelter Medicine club provided services in several
outreach events including providing pet health checks and information for
participants in the Health care Equity fair in downtown Portland. In conjunction
with medical students from OHSU, this annual event provides needed medical
services for those who would otherwise be unable to afford them.
e. Other appropriate initiatives
The college in association with several other colleges and departments at OSU has
initiated the Cancer Biology Program. It is composed of a faculty with diverse
expertise (from basic biology to social sciences) and aims to improve the
knowledge in basic science and treatment of tumors in animals and humans, and
to develop a community-based work from which individuals in the community
would both inspire the research and also benefit from the findings of the group.
The College announced its first endowed professorship, funded by long-time
College supporters Glen Pfefferkorn and Morris Wendorf. The endowed
professorship is in camelid medicine and the position is currently held by Dr.
Chris Cebra, an internationally-renowned camelid clinician and researcher. The
position carries the responsibilities of furthering camelid research, education and
outreach, which are activities in which Dr. Cebra is already heavily involved. This
is the only existing Camelid Endowed professorship in the world. In February,
2014, Dr. Cebra and other CVM faculty and staff, along with many DVM students
provided medical assessment and care for 175 alpacas who were rescued from a
situation that was providing inadequate food, shelter and care. This provided
much needed medical care along with great hands-on practical learning for a
number of veterinary students. All alpacas have been successfully placed in new
homes.
The college was an active participant in the Western Region Consortium of
veterinary colleges, which include the programs at Colorado State University,
Oregon State University, University of California, Davis, Washington State
University and Western University. The first project of the Consortium was
establishment of a joint Teaching Academy to promote the scholarship of
veterinary medical education. Activities of the Teaching Academy have included
the first summer meeting of the joint Teaching Academy and establishment of
guidelines for peer review of teaching. The second project is formation of a
Consortium Center of Excellence for Ruminant Health. College faculty have
participated fully in these projects and benefit by the collaboration with
colleagues at other western state institutions.
Ongoing engagement with members of the College of Veterinary Medicine
Advisory Council advanced the College’s fundraising and strategic planning
activities. 2. Brief assessment of unit’s efforts
a. Student engagement and success
The College uses a variety of assessment measures to evaluate the effectiveness of its
veterinary educational program, including student performance on the North American
Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE), survey of recent graduates, survey of
employers, and exit interviews and surveys of graduating seniors. The Class of 2014
achieved a 98% pass rate on NAVLE on the first attempt versus a 91% average rate for all
students graduating from accredited colleges in the US.
Of the recent graduates (Class of 2014), 89.6% strongly agreed or agreed that they were
satisfied with their education. In the most recent survey of employers of our graduates,
75% were satisfied or very satisfied with the overall skills, knowledge and performance of
their Oregon State University graduate employees and 59% thought that OSU graduates
were better prepared or much better prepared for practice compared with graduates from
other programs. The strongest approval ratings were in the areas of clinical knowledge,
diagnostic reasoning and animal handling and surgical skills. As occurs annually, exit
interviews and surveys of graduating seniors were reviewed by faculty and used to make
any necessary revisions in the curriculum. Additional outcomes assessment instruments
were implemented as the Class of 2014 entered their clinical rotations to evaluate clinical
competency of students by both direct and indirect measures. These include the use of
real-time assessments, which are direct assessments of a student’s work-up of a medicine,
a surgery and a disease prevention case with formative feed-back provided.
To ensure that graduates are ready to engage in veterinary practice, students must be
exposed to a sufficient variety and number of clinical cases in the VTH and other clinical
training programs. In 2013-2014, the number of small animal cases increased 6.7%
compared with the previous year and the number of large animal cases increased
by18.3%. The total number of visits to the small animal and large animal clinics,
respectively, were 8,320 (7,797 in FY13) and 2,248 (1,900 in FY13). Total income from
services remained stable ($5.95M in FY 14 and $5.9M in FY 13). Revenue generated
from client fees decreased 1.9% to $5.24M ($5.43M in FY13) whereas additional
expense authority provided to the VTH derived from reimbursement for internal services
increased 8.8% to $706K ($644K in FY13).The growth in case visits and stable revenue
enabled the VTH to increase certified veterinary technician staffing, purchase new
equipment and implement a new faculty position in critical care.
The College’s primary care clinical education program at the OHS in Portland continued
to be a very successful program in terms of student engagement and experiential
learning and has been a role model for other veterinary programs across the county.
Seniors completed a 3 week required rotation at the AMLC and in many cases enrolled
in additional elective rotations. The approximately 6,500 cases treated at the AMLC
provided excellent experience in small animal surgery (each student performed more
than 40 surgeries) and general medicine, including the treatment of diseases not
commonly seen in the referral service of the VTH. The College committed resources to
hire a certified veterinary technician to support student education in dentistry and
behavioral medicine.
The College successfully recruited faculty in several positions, in addition to very good
faculty retention in this time period. Successful recruitments during 2013-2014
included a small animal surgeon, anatomic pathologist, pharmacologist, criticalist and
rural veterinary practitioner. The open Chair of the Department of Clinical Sciences
position was filled and the interim Hospital Director position was filled with a
permanent Hospital Director. A national search for the position of Dean is continuing.
b. Research and its impact
The total number and value of grants funded during the year were 22 and $3,906,737,
respectively. Grant and contract support increased relative to 2012-2013 (24 grants totaling
$1,681,511) by 99.7%. Total research expenditures amounted to $2,381,733. The increase
in grant revenue may reflect recruitment of faculty with significant research FTEs in the last
few years as well as continued success of more established investigators. Mentoring of
existing faculty and investment in research infrastructure will continue to be important,
particularly in the clinical sciences disciplines.
c. Outreach and engagement, including international-level activities
The College outreach program is centered around its clinical and diagnostic services, with
less emphasis placed on extension and continuing education. The diagnostic and referral
clinical services are important to the entire state as well as neighboring states.
Clinical training agreements with Ross and St. George’s universities generate a
significant amount of income, facilitate the provision of clinical services in the VTH and
increase international and ethnic diversity of the student body. A number of educational
partnerships have been developed with institutions in other countries, including India, Japan,
China, France and Chile and participation by faculty and students in these partnerships has
been enthusiastic and productive.
d. Community and diversity
Over 80% of veterinary students (77% in the Class of 2018) and 43% of College professorial
faculty are women. Including Hispanic/Brazilian, African American, Middle Eastern and
Asian Americans, approximately 15% of faculty are racial/ethnic minorities. The Class of
2018, admitted to the DVM program in 2014, includes 17% self-identified minority students.
In summary, gender parity exists among College faculty whereas the student body is
underrepresented with respect to men.
In 2012, the College initiated a summer camp for high school students in a long-term effort to
increase the representation of minorities in its student body. This effort to recruit under-
represented individuals to the veterinary profession is now in its third year. College faculty
and students regularly participate in activities and efforts that benefit under-served
populations such as members of the Confederate Tribes of Warm Springs, pets belonging to
homeless individuals in the Portland area, and the people and animals of Merida, Ometepe
Island, Nicaragua.
e. Other appropriate initiatives
The College went through the accreditation process for the American Veterinary Medical
Association (AVMA) which requires a major review and site visit every seven years. The site
visit occurred in February, 2014. While the final report and decision will not be received until
sometime in September, 2014, the initial report was favorable with only very few minor
deficiencies noted. The accreditation process required cooperation from everyone in the
College and served the purpose of necessitating close examination of every facet of the DVM
program and the College.
Several of the newer initiatives of the College, such as the Cancer Biology Program, the
Endowed Camelid Professorship and the collaboration with other veterinary schools through
the Western Region Consortium are relatively new and the ultimate impact they will have is
yet to be seen. However, they represent some important collaborations and there have already
been concrete outcomes realized, such as: the acquisition of a unique and powerful intrabeam
radiotherapy unit for treatment of cancer, the success of the alpaca rescue (both in terms of
excellent PR, monetary donations and visibility of the program), the scheduling of the
International Camelid Health Conference in Corvallis, the successful consortium Teaching
Academy meeting in Corvallis, and the guidelines for peer review of teaching generated by a
working group of the Teaching Academy.
3. Brief summary of major faculty and student awards
• Dr. Dan Rockey received the Zoetis Award for Research Excellence.
• Dr. Keith Poulsen received the New Investigator Award. This award recognizes the
research potential of an early-career faculty member who is making good progress
towards establishing a research program with an international reputation for excellence.
• Dr. Elena Gorman received the Zoetis Distinguished Teacher Award.
• Approximately $260,000 in merit-based scholarships and need-based grants were
awarded to students.
• Laura Niman received the Class of 2014 Academic Excellence Award (first place) and
Emily Amsler received the E.E. Wedman Outstanding Senior Award. These are the most
prestigious annual awards presented to students.
• Faculty continued to serve on NIH study sections and as ad hoc reviewers for grant
applications and manuscripts, and in leadership roles in multiple professional veterinary
organizations. 4. Initiatives to leverage E&G and other base resources and to improve administrative
efficiencies
• The College has continued to build its development program with significant success in
engaging new donors and establishing some important relationships with possible
industry partners. There appears to be great potential for these partnerships in particular
in the areas of oncology and bovine reproduction. A part-time Client Advocate position
was funded by a generous donation. This person serves clients in the VTH by establishing
positive relationships and soliciting feedback on services provided with the goal of
increasing the donor base of grateful clients whose animals have been treated at the VTH.
• While growth in the VTH case load and revenue leveled off significantly in the 2013-
2014 time period, there continues to be modest growth and the addition of new services,
such as critical care and rehabilitation/physical therapy should add augment this growth
over time.
Research revenue increased significantly in 2013-2014. This reflects success in obtaining
grants in both the Biomedical Sciences and the Clinical Sciences. Mentoring of new
faculty with high research FTE’s, continuing to promote intra-Divisional relationships
and finding opportunities outside the College and the University for collaboration are all
contributing to this increase.
Results and Outcomes
1. Performance on College-level metrics – See Appendices 2, 3 & 4
10
Appendix 1 – Continuing and new extramurally-funded research projects (>$50K in total budget)
CVM Investigator Title Agency
Baltzer, Wendy Treatment of Cranial LIG Purina
Bermudez, Luiz Strategy for Anti-tuberculosis
therapy
NIH
Bermudez, Luiz Development of ciprofloxacin
liposomes for the treatment of lung
infection caused by M.avium or
M.abscessus
NIH
Bermudez, Luiz HP contamination analysis Hewlett-Packard
Company
Bermudez, Luiz Genes Associated with M. avium
Pathogenesis
NIH
Bermudez, Luiz Efficacy of Oral Aminoglycoside-
Cochleate Formulations
NIH
Dolan, Brian Ubiquitin conjugation and direct
MHC class I antigen presentation
NIH
Estill, Charles T. Ram model of neuroendocrine
control
NIH
Hase, Claudia Diagnostic tools for managing
vibriosis in marine shellfish
hatcheries
USDA
Hase, Claudia Catalyzing New International
Collaborations: Developing
diagnostics for Vibrio coralliilyticus
and coral vibriosis
National Science
Foundation
Helfand Alpha-radioimmune therapy in
dogs
F. Hutchinson CRC
Kent, Mike A Zebrafish Model to Study the
Role of the Microbiota in the
Etiology of Intestinal Cancer
NIH
Magnusson, Kathy Subunit Changes in Aging NMDA
Receptors Affect Memory
NIH
McKenzie, Erica Exertional Rhadomyolysis in
Arabian Horses
Morris Animal
Foundation
Medlock, Jan Synthetic information systems for
better informing public health
policymakers
NIH
Medlock, Jan Cross-national differences in
vaccination as unselfish behavior
NSF
Jolles, Anna Microparasite-Macroparasite
Interactions:
NSF
Jolles, Anna Persistence of a highly contagious
pathogen:
ecological and evolutionary
mechanisms in foot-and-mouth
disease virus.
USDA
11
Moulton, Hong Multiscale analysis of influenza
host-pathogen interactions:
Fluomics
NIH
Mustacich, Debbie Mechanism of Cisplatin-Induced
Neuropathy and Use of Adjuvant
Vitamin E
American Cancer
Society
Ramsey, Steve Systems analysis of transcriptional
interactions underlying foam cell
formation.
NIH
Riebold, Thomas W. Telazol in dogs Zoetis
Sarker, Mahfuzur Mechanisms of bacterial spore
germination and its heterogeneity
DOD-US Army
Shulzhenko, Natalia Anti-IL-12p40 Treatment of CVID
Enteropathy: Gene
Expression/Microbiota Analysis”
NIH
12
Appendix 2
Part 1
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